Million Dollar Lasagna

Million Dollar Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food — rich, creamy, cheesy, meaty, and layered to perfection. It’s called “Million Dollar” because it tastes luxurious and indulgent, like it should cost a fortune — but it’s made with simple, accessible ingredients.

Here’s a foolproof, from-scratch recipe:

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🍝 Million Dollar Lasagna Recipe

✅ Ingredients

For the Meat Sauce:

• 1 lb ground beef

• ½ lb Italian sausage (mild or hot)

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (24 oz) jar marinara or spaghetti sauce

• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• Salt & pepper to taste

For the Cheese Layer:

• 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Other:

• 9 lasagna noodles (regular or oven-ready)

• Fresh parsley or basil (optional for garnish)

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👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Cook the Meat Sauce

• In a large skillet or pot over medium heat, cook ground beef, sausage, and onion until browned. Drain excess fat.

• Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

• Stir in marinara, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Simmer 10–15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Make the Creamy Cheese Mixture

• In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, cottage/ricotta, sour cream, egg, garlic powder, 1 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan until smooth and creamy.

3. Cook the Noodles (if using regular ones)

• Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on parchment to avoid sticking.
  (Skip this step if using oven-ready noodles.)

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🔁 Layer the Lasagna

In a 9×13-inch baking dish, layer in this order:

1. Meat sauce – thin layer on the bottom

2. 3 noodles

3. Half of the cheese mixture

4. ⅓ of remaining meat sauce

5. 3 noodles

6. Remaining cheese mixture

7. ⅓ of meat sauce

8. Final 3 noodles

9. Remaining meat sauce

10. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella + extra Parmesan if you like

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🔥 Bake

• Cover with foil (spray underside so cheese doesn’t stick)

• Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes

• Remove foil, bake 15–20 minutes more until bubbly and golden

• Let rest 15 minutes before slicing (crucial for clean layers!)

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🧄 Optional Add-ins or Variations

• Add spinach to cheese layer for a veggie boost

• Swap beef/sausage for ground turkey

• Add a pinch of crushed red pepper for heat

• Top with fresh basil or parsley

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Let me know if you want a make-ahead, freezer-friendly, or slow cooker version — it adapts well!